


Solstice is for Second Chances

by Lhugy_for_short



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Falling In Love, First Meetings, M/M, Modern Era, Prophetic Dreams, Solstice Miracles, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lhugy_for_short/pseuds/Lhugy_for_short
Summary: Noct's been having the same dream for nights on end. In it, a man he's never seen before awaits him at the end of a hall of lights. What does it mean? Is his dream a warning, or a prophecy of things to come?~Dream Soulmate AU for Ignoct Secret Santa 2019~
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29
Collections: Ignoct Secret Santa 2019





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mahokoyuki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mahokoyuki/gifts).



> Happy Solstice to the ever-lovely Mahokoyuki!! 
> 
> I was so thrilled to get you as my giftee for this event! One of your requests was for a soulmate AU which, tbh, I had never attempted before. Hope you like how this turned out :) I'm sorry it isn't smutty...maybe next year *wink*

For someone who dreamed as much as Noctis Lucis Caelum, he still sometimes had trouble reading them. 

His mother, on the other hand, had always loved to study dreams. When Aulea had been alive, she’d tried to teach her son to interpret the meanings of all sorts of common symbols and themes. Dreams, she’d said, could portend - even influence - the future. New opportunities, decisions to be made, and, according to one ancient Lucian legend, the meeting of soulmates, spirits which were destined to find each other across space and time. 

Truth be told, Noctis had never really understood any of it. But after his mother was killed in the same car crash that nearly took his own life, he discovered a new interest in his dreams. His father Regis Caelum, President and CEO of Citadel Trading, discouraged the hobby, which he saw as an obstacle to Noct’s future in the corporate world. As his sole heir to the family business, Noctis would be expected to grow up quickly, to leave childish fantasies behind and focus on things like profit margins instead. 

Yet economics (in fact, any type of studying at all) continuously failed to catch Noct’s interest. There wasn't much Regis could do to dissuade him from spending all day in his room, playing games and reading comic books. He slept, too, more than was probably healthy even for a teenage boy, but he had his reasons for it. The more he slept, the more he could dream. Vivid dreams, always full of color and more real to him than the world outside of his bed. In his dreams, he could live as freely as he wished, go where and do whatever he pleased without strict rules to tie him down. He could fly and warp between tall buildings, cross oceans and fish for hours on end. In his dreams, he could see his mother again.

Thus it went that on his 18th birthday, when his father had arranged a ‘coronation’ to celebrate his first official position within the company, Noctis slept right through the ceremony. The egg on Regis his face was reflected in the subsequent drop in the Citadel’s stock prices, and the fight that ensued between father and son was heard throughout Insomnia. Noct, in as many words, distanced himself from his father’s company altogether, while Regis, suddenly looking years older, returned to his office to fume. The result was a temporary PR nightmare for Citadel Tradings, a couple of bruised egos, and a silence between Noctis and his father that would last the next two long years.

Yet while Noct could still escape his problems into the realm of his dreams, halfway across the city another life was thrown into chaos. A young, promising graduate student by the name of Ignis Scientia had been looking forward to his first big internship experience as assistant to the son of Lucis’ most prominent businessman. He hadn't known much about Noctis except that he was two years his junior and born, unlike himself, with a silver spoon in his mouth. But he did know that landing an internship at the Citadel was a big deal. The  _ biggest _ deal, one which had the potential to boost his career to heights he could have otherwise never imagined. His entire future rested on this one chance.

And all of it was dashed the day Noctis Lucis Caelum decided to cast aside his crown. With no one to assist, there was no need for an assistant. There was no need for the internship program, either, or the grant he would have received to further his schooling. There was no hope left for his future.

That was the day Ignis signed a contract at the Citadel's rival firm, Zegnautus. And it was the day he lost the ability to dream at all.


	2. It doesn't mean a thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis gets some unpleasant news for Solstice....

The pitcher of coffee on the other side of the table was unnaturally tempting that morning. Noct hated coffee. It was bitter, and tasted exactly like how he imagined a burning tire might. But it was also stupid early. The last time he'd been out of bed and dressed at seven-thirty in the morning had been, uh…. Well, he wasn't sure if it had ever actually happened before. And it wouldn't have happened this time either, except Gladio had insisted, and he'd been awake anyway.

The reason for the first was still a mystery. But as for the second, Noct blamed the weird dream he'd been having for the fourth consecutive night in a row. Usually, recurring dreams were a sign that he was stressed about something, or simply playing too many games too late at night. He always knew what they meant, and how to get rid of them.

But not this time. For days, he'd been unable to put his finger on just what the dream was trying to tell him. There was nothing sensible about it, and no people or faces he could recognize as a clue. He once recalled his mother mentioning such dreams, ones which seemed to take place in a far off time or place. Prophecies, she’d called them, and said they were meant to guide him toward his destiny. 

Yet that didn't feel right either. Whatever this new dream was trying to tell him, he wished it would start making more sense so he could go back to getting a full night's sleep.

A mug of hot cocoa hit the table, and Gladio slid it over in front of him without ceremony. “How you can drink that shit this early in the morning is beyond me,” he said in a voice even lower than his usual bass. Noct watched him settle down with his own double espresso into the booth across from him before dignifying that with a response.

“I could say the same about your disgusting bean water, you know.” He grimaced for effect when Gladiator took his first sip.

“Some of us need the caffeine. It helps with the hard work we do all day, while  _ other _ people get to lie around rotting their brains with Mogflix.”

Okay, ouch. Noct had known Gladio pretty much all his life. He was the son of Clarus Amicitia, now a senior member of the Citadel's Board of Directors, as well as a longtime family friend. Unlike Noctis, Gladio had always followed dutifully in his father's footsteps, even rising to take on Clarus’ mantle when he'd retired at 50. In more ways than one, that made him Noctis’ senior, and therefore (at least in Gladio's opinion), Noct’s better as well. But while his words were often more critical than necessary, this morning he was being an outright dick.

“Look. I'm up, I'm here, what more do you want from me?”

Noct lifted his mug. Tested it to his lips and decided it was still too hot to drink. “Tell me what you want or I'm going back to bed.”

If looks could kill, Gladio would be on a streak. “When was the last time you checked your email?”

“Huh? My Citadel account? I don't know, couple weeks?”

“Fucking hopeless.” Setting down his own drink, Gladio fished around inside his jacket pocket for a minute until he located his phone. “Look, I know you and your old man have this whole feud thing going on, but--”

“If you’re just here to lecture me about Dad again, forget it. I'm not in the mood.”

“Sit down, Princess.” Gladio’s tone was serious, but there was more plea than threat in it this time. Noct narrowed his eyes at him as he sank back into his seat. “I'm here with an olive branch, alright? The Citadel's agreed to host the annual Solstice Gala this year, and your father wants you to be there.”

Halfway into the first sip of his cocoa, Noct scrunched up his nose. “That's not an olive branch. I  _ hate _ those parties. Why would he even want me to show my face in front of so much brass anyway? Isn't he supposedly ashamed of me?”

“I told you to stay away from the Galdin Inquirer. Those tabloids put words into Regis’ mouth.” Far from backing down, Gladius slid his phone across the table to show an email open on the screen. It had the date, time, and dress code for the gala, along with a guest list for Citadel employees and their plus ones. Right beside Gladio’s name and under his own, Noct was surprised to see another strikingly familiar guest on the list. “...You're taking Prom?”

“Yeah.” Gladio shrugged, but Noct didn't miss how quickly he scrolled away from the evidence. “What's the big deal?”

Blue eyes regarded him carefully. “I don't know. I'm glad things are working out for you two, is all. And I guess a little weirded out. Isn't this kind of, you know, fast?”

“It's been a year, Noct. No, it's not too fast.”

He let that sink in for a moment. A year? Had it already been that long since he first introduced them? He'd known his friends were dating, sure, but he somehow hadn't realized just how serious things had gotten. And it admittedly made him feel a little left out. “Prom didn't mention he was going.”

“Would you focus on the bigger picture for a second?” Gladio grabbed his phone back, and pointed it accusingly in Noct’s direction. “Maybe the reason Prompto didn't tell you is because he knows how damn stubborn you are. He wants to avoid a fight, and the headache of trying to persuade you to at least hear what your old man has to say.”

“I'm not stubborn,” he frowned, crossing his arms.

“Fine. Hardheaded, then. Whatever you wanna call it, you're taking this grudge against your dad too far.”

“He's the one who doesn’t even try to listen to me.”

“Seems to be a family trait.” 

“I'm not going,” Noct deadpanned. “You're wasting your time.”

“Gods  _ damn it, _ Noct.” Between Gladio’s booming voice and the force with which he brought his fist down on the table, the entire cafe fell to hushed whispers. “Do you plan to wait ‘til Regis is dead to forgive him?”

The hush gave way to tense silence. Noctis froze in his seat, fingers gripping the handle of his mug almost tight enough to snap it right off. “What...are you talking about?”

“ _ Six _ , man. You mean you don't know?” Gladio swore again as Noct shook his head. “It's cancer. They found it last month. Said if he'd come in just a little sooner, maybe they could have…” A heavy sigh. Gladio fixed his eyes on the door as if he wished he could disappear through it, and escape as far away from the conversation as possible. “Sorry he, uh, didn't tell you himself, apparently. But now you know. Maybe you can understand why he's so eager to try and make things right with his only son.”

_ Shit _ . The air seemed suddenly too thin. Noctis was having trouble catching his breath. How had this happened? For everything that he was or wasn't in Noct’s eyes, Regis had at least been strong. Solid. At unmovable force that, in the mind of a young boy, would always be there. 

_ Cancer _ . Was that how a man like Regis Caelum was meant to lose in the end? What the  _ fuck _ ?

“Hey, Noct. You all right?”

_ No. _ “Uh.”  _ This can't be real. _ “Y-yeah. Fine. Just.... Just give me a sec.” 

He thought about the dream. That one recurring vision he'd been having of an unfamiliar place, and unsettling quiet. He thought about his father, and all the guilt he harbored for failing to be a perfect son. There had to be a connection. Something his dream was trying to tell him, or to warn him. What if, in missing its message, he somehow made things worse with his dad instead of better? 

“...Gladio, tell me the truth. How long has he got?”


	3. The man of his lucid dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dream comes to him again, but this time Noct is determined to see it through. 
> 
> Meanwhile. across the city, Ignis is tempted down a dark path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noct's dream is based on the imagery in the VNV Nation song, 'Carbon' - some lyrics are used in the description.

The dream came to him again that night, as Noctis clung to his pillow and tried to shut out the world. It started, as it always did, with a hallway of lights.

A million points of light, blinking and flickering. Surrounding him like tiny stars strung along the walls. They guided Noct first forward, then upward as a staircase appeared step by step beneath his feet. Up, up, ascending into the sky to some place high above Insomnia. 

And indeed, when he next looked closer, the flickering lights had fallen away to join those of the city far below, lights of buildings and cars and street lamps, all monuments in the darkness.

But Noctis had already seen this part of the dream. So many times now that it no longer seemed important. The hallway, the stairs that continued to carry him closer to the heavens, were just a path. What he was  _ really _ meant to see awaited him at the end - however far that might be. 

For his father’s sake, he needed answers. Slipping into control of his dreams had taken years of practice, of course, but now it came as naturally to him as opening his eyes. It brought the dream into focus, lent clarity to the path ahead of him. He could see better where he had to go.

The stairs came to an eventual end so high above the city that the lights no longer reached the platform there. Instead, shadows obscured his view of the unfamiliar place, and of the figure he could sense was standing there alone. A man, his silhouette tall and lean as he turned in Noct’s direction. The way he moved...it was an oddly familiar gait. Almost like a younger version of Regis, before time and the pressures of business had hardened his father. Was  _ that _ who his dream was trying to show him?

Noct strained to see in the dark. No, this man was not his father, he couldn’t be. His eyes were too green, his hair too light. As he approached, Noctis willed more light into his dream, brighter and brighter until the city far below began to glow with his own desperation. 

It was just enough. He could make out the man’s face clearly now, from his sharp eyes to his lips parted in wonder. Noct felt...something. A stirring, a lightness that built in his chest and rapidly filled every part of him, like helium in a balloon. Around him, the lights grew even brighter. 

_ Who are you? _ he wanted to ask, though he couldn’t seem to form the words into sound.  _ What do you want from me? _

Too bright, the lights now were blinding. Noct thought he saw the beautiful man’s mouth move - in answer, maybe, or in warning - but everything was being swallowed up in white. He was being pushed off the platform as if out of his dream, out into the void of nothingness with the city of Insomnia waiting hungrily below. The mysterious floating sensation abandoned him, and he toppled out of the sky, a star himself now plummeting toward the milion burning lights below. 

He woke with a start back in his own bed.  _ Damn.  _ Another attempt at answers failed before he could finish the dream. At least this time he’d uncovered one new clue: the man, the one with the green eyes. He was important somehow, Noct was certain. But the encounter in Noct’s dream only offered more questions. Who was he? Where had Noct met him before? And what connection did any of this have to his dying father? 

No closer to the answers than he had been that afternoon, Noct rolled onto his back and resigned himself to another long, sleepless night of wondering.

* * *

It was late, even for him. The clock above his desk told him it was well past ten, and his watch, when he could focus his bleary eyes on it, confirmed the same. Not that Ignis really had anywhere else to be, but anywhere, really, was better than Zegnautus. 

The office was eerily quiet at night, he mused, glancing up from his computer screen long enough to take a look around. All of the other consultants had already gone home, and most of their assistants, as well. Only Ignis’ boss, a workaholic (read, ass-kisser) named Ravus Nox Fleuret, had nothing better to do on a Wednesday night than work cases. Even now, Ignis could see him in his private office, hunched over his desk, ready to burn the oil right past midnight. 

His ambition, at least, was admirable. Ravus had dreams of being made a senior partner someday, of getting a corner office on the top floor of Zegnautus Tower alongside Aldercapt himself. The only way to do that was to work his way up - or, as the saying went, die trying. Ignis couldn’t fault the man for following his dream with such dedication. But he did wish he’d been assigned to a consultant who pulled less overtime. 

Knuckles rapped on the surface of his desk, catching Ignis off guard. He swiveled back around in his chair to see the one face he’d been hoping to avoid right through to the weekend. “Busy?” Ardyn Izunia smiled down the length of his nose. “You certainly don’t seem like it.”

Ignis cursed the man’s terrible timing. “Ah, my apologies, sir. I’m actually in the middle of updating our client registry. Mr. Nox Fleuret asked me to--”

“Ravus has no idea how to put an assistant to good use.” Something about the way Ardyn settled with his hip against Ignis’ desk left that statement uncomfortably open-ended. “It’s lucky for me, however, that someone of your...potential is still around this late. I have a proposition for you.”

In the back of his mind, Ignis was reviewing what he knew about sexual harassment laws. “Mr. Izunia, sir. I’m afraid I really am quite busy.” 

An envelope landed on his desk, right on top of his keyboard where he’d been hoping to get back to work. Warily, and with Ardyn’s smile coaxing him on, he picked it up. “ _ ‘You and one guest are cordially invited to a Solstice Gala on the night of the 24th….’ _ Sir, that’s tomorrow.”

“It is, indeed. That’s why I’m lucky you’re still here.”

Folding the invitation in front of him, Ignis shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I have to work. We’re expected to finish the Ghiranze acquisitions before Solstice and--”

“Ah, but that’s the beauty of it,” Ardyn grinned. “You  _ will  _ be working, for me. A little reconnaissance on the party’s generous hosts. I suppose you’ve heard the rumors that Regis Caelum is unwell of late?” 

Unease swept through Ignis. He took another peek inside the invitation, at the address of the Citadel in gold lettering, and frowned. Though it was true that he’d once lost an internship at Zegnautus’ rival firm, Regis Caelum had seemed like a good man when he’d met him. Genuine, intelligent, a model boss. Despite how things had worked out, he’d always thought highly of Regis himself. 

In a mischievous tone, Ardyn continued. “Rumor also has it that his son is going to be attending the Gala in a rare public appearance. It’s no secret the relationship between them is strained. Noctis may be the weakness we’ve been looking for to finally bring the Citadel to its knees.” 

_ Noctis _ . That was another name Ignis knew well. Too well. The flippant son of the Caelum line who squandered his father’s fortune on a life of leisure. Whose decision to give up his place within the company had cost Ignis his future, as well. He’d never met Noctis, but even after two years he had plenty of choice words to say to him in person. 

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. Ardyn was still watching him as he once more folded the invitation, and this time placed it into his vest pocket. A wordless agreement. A chance for payback. 

Yellow eyes darkened in a smile above his desk. “Good choice, Scientia. You might just find yourself with an office of your own one of these days.”


	4. Like a prince out of water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the Solstice Gala, Noctis is getting cold feet.

Noctis hated suits. Almost as much as he hated ties, and unfortunately that night’s party required him to wear both. 

Like nearly everything else in his closet, the only suits he’d ever allowed his father to buy him were black. The one he wore now was no different, just as dark as the dress shirt he had on beneath the jacket. Even the tie he’d picked out was jet black, and that was his excuse for why, ten minutes later, he was still struggling to get the knot right. 

“Ugh. I give up, this is impossible,” he groaned, pulling the whole thing loose for the dozenth time. Beside him, busy combing wax into his hair in the closet mirror, Prompto shot him a sympathetic grin. 

“Dude, give it here. These things aren’t so bad once you get the hang of ‘em.” He cleaned his hands on a towel he found on Noct’s bedroom floor before snatching up the offending tie. He looped it under his collar with surprising expertise, and hummed to himself while he worked it into a knot. 

He made it look  _ easy.  _ "…Since when do you know anything about ties? I thought you hated this kinda stuff as much as me."

"Yeah, well," Prompto shrugged, his smile unshakeable. "Guess I've gotten a lot of practice helping Gladio in the mornings." 

_ Oh.  _ Noct almost regretted asking. He tugged awkwardly at the strands of hair hanging down into his face, looking for a distraction from the visual Prompto's words had conjured up. "So, um. You guys, like, living together now or what?" 

"What? No," came the overly-modest laugh. "We just, y'know, hang out a lot. Mostly at my place 'cause of Gladio's family. We can't hide  _ anything _ from Iris, I swear. Like, teenagers, amirite?" 

"Yeah, uh. Forget I asked."

Prompto slid the knot of the tie perfectly into place at the base of Noct's throat. Not at all too tight, but it felt stupidly constricting anyway. "Aw, dude. Don't be like that. You're still my bestie. Oh, but hey, do you mind if we take some pics? Gladio wants a sneak peek before we get there tonight." 

To his credit, Noct managed to fake a couple of poses for his friend’s sake. But he was relieved when, already a half-dozen selfies in, Prom’s phone buzzed with a message instead. “Oops. Looks like Cor’s here,” he announced, running his fingers back through his hair one last time in front of the mirror for good measure. “Time to get this party started!”

“More like,  _ get it over with _ .” Noct dodged an elbow to the side, but couldn’t resist a grin as Prompto caught him by the wrist instead. 

“C’mon, everyone’s gonna be excited to see you. It’s Solstice! Anything can happen.”

That, Noct thought to himself, was exactly what he was afraid of.

There was only so long his plan of “hide in the corner and avoid eye contact” was going to work. 

It might have gone more smoothly if Prompto wasn’t such a social butterfly, constantly drawing attention to their end of the buffet table by waving to everyone he knew. First there was Cindy, then Luna and Nyx, then a few faces Noct recognized from other firms around the city. He got away with casual nods and ducking behind the chocolate fountain for the first hour, but only until Prom’s other half showed up. 

“Hey,” Gladio smirked, slipping up to Prompto and pressing a big, obnoxious kiss to his forehead. “Sorry I’m late, got caught up at the office. Miss me?”

“‘Course we did! Right, Noct?” 

Smiling weakly, Noctis smoothed back down the edge of the tablecloth he’d been considering hiding under. “Uh, yeah. Totally. It’s nice to get the gang back together.” 

Gladio’s eyes softened. “Thanks again for coming tonight. It means a lot to all of us.”

“I’m...glad I can do something useful for once.” It felt somehow less altruistic when he’d been selfishly avoiding most of the guests so far that evening. In particular, there was one reunion he was dreading above all the rest. “Um. Have you seen my dad yet tonight?” 

“Yeah, he’s here. He was over by the bar with Cid and Weskham last I checked.” One arm still around Prompto, Gladio gestured vaguely toward the other side of the banquet hall. A group of guests wandering past blocked most of Noct’s view, but his heart sank with nerves all the same. 

“Oh. Cool.”

“You should go say something,” Prompto offered helpfully. “He’ll be happy to see you.” 

_ Will he? _ Two years was a long time. He’d seen pictures of his father in the company newsletter, of course, and on the news, but he worried that somehow all that time would have changed them both too much. Especially now that Regis was sick. What if everything was different? 

What if nothing was? 

Suddenly, a heavy arm landed around his shoulders. “Come on,” Gladio said, making up his mind for him. “We’ll help you break the ice.” 

There was little comfort even in his friends’ support. Each step further across the hall echoed inside Noct’s skull, a toll harbinging his impending doom.  _ I’m not ready _ .

“Oh, look! There’s Clarus, and is that Regis next to him?” 

_ Shit. I can’t do this. Not yet.  _ Up ahead, the crowd broke. Noct could see a man who very much resembled his father, only older, thinner, with hair whiter in more places than he remembered. In his left hand, he gripped a solid cane.  _ No, no, this is all wrong, I gotta…! _

Steel grey eyes, as stern and regal as ever, spotted him before he could get out of dodge. Regis’ thick beard gave a twitch. He motioned to Clarus beside him just as Noct’s stomach gave a lurch. Nerves already on edge sent him panicking, and adrenalin flooded his system like a broken dam. 

“H-hey! Where are you--?!” 

“Bathroom!” he shouted over his shoulder, not caring if Gladio - or anyone else - actually heard him. 

_ So much for Solstice miracles _ , he spat, mostly at himself. What had he been thinking? That one pep talk was enough to change his ways? That he’d suddenly transform into a good son just because his father was dying, and he’d shown up to one party with cold feet? He’d been stupid to think he was ready to handle the reality of any of it. Regis, too, had been stupid to bother inviting him in the first place. Noct knew he had to get out. He’d be better off anywhere in the whole damn city but here. 

Cutting a sharp right at the bathrooms, he made instead for the nearest exit sign. Beneath it was a nondescript door, which led into a hallway mercifully empty of other guests. 

He sucked in a deep breath. Though his heart was still pounding, Noct was far enough away from the party now that his thoughts could at last catch up with him. Thoughts like  _ Where the hell am I?  _ and  _ What do I do next?  _

He couldn't go back inside, that much was clear. To the right, too, he saw only a dead end in the form of a padlocked supply closet. Not knowing where else to go, he started to follow the hallway in the only other direction he could. 

Solstice music playing softly inside the banquet hall trickled out into the corridor. Up ahead, Noct saw what looked like twinkling white lights winding up the railings of a staircase.  _ Flickering, twinkling like tiny stars strung across a sea of night. _ Festive, yes, but also eerily familiar. 

He didn’t stop to admire the lights, but he did slow his pace. The feeling that he’d been here before, that he’d somehow seen this exact scene already, was uncanny. 

And then it hit him. Of course! This had to be the hallway from his dream! It was identical, right down to the cool grey walls and the Solstice decorations guiding him like beacons up to the floor above. 

Which, if he was right, meant that…. 

Excitement took over the adrenalin still pumping in his veins. Hopping the stairs two steps at a time, he raced his way to the top. Flight after flight, following the strings of lights until he arrived at a door, already open, which led onto the roof. 

Moonlight illuminated the scene. Noct’s chest thudded to see a lone figure there. A man, his suit jacket hanging over one arm despite the chill of the night air. He leaned over the railing, his back to the stairs, but Noctis had no doubt about it. 

That was him. That was the man from his dreams. 

“Um.” He started forward on shaky steps. “Hey.” 

Caught by surprise, the man spun around - and the slip of paper he’d been holding between his hands fluttered over the railing, off the side of the roof, and was carried away by a gust of wind. 


	5. Second chances to make things right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis isn't sure why, but he feels like he's seen this striking young man before....

“Oops….”

The young man who had been teetering toward him came to a graceless halt in his tracks. It was the invitation that had stopped him. He watched it, floating as it was now on the breeze down to the city streets, with a look of silent horror on his face. 

Ignis, conversely, couldn’t be more glad to have dropped the thing.  _ Good riddance _ , he thought as he turned his back to the railing. He'd been planning to toss the invitation anyway, almost since the first moment Ardyn had given it to him. It had never represented anything more than a contract signed in blood. 

But, of course, the kid standing in front of him now couldn't possibly know that. Guilt was written plain as dawn across his expression, and his hands kept sliding in and out of his pockets as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. "I, uh. Was.... Was that important?" 

Ignis leaned onto one leg, adjusting the arm holding his suit jacket for balance. "Hm? No, it was nothing. Just work." 

"Oh. Because, well, most of the people I know would say that's pretty important." 

How odd. No one else had come up to the roof all evening. Just who was this young man, and what was he doing here? Ignis leaned a little closer to get a better look. Big, ocean-blue eyes lifted to meet him from beneath a sweep of unruly black hair, expectantly, and the depth of them had Ignis’ breath catching somewhere in his throat. 

How odd, indeed. 

"I, er, suppose to most people, that might be the case.  _ My _ job, however, is…. Well." He frowned, unsure of how to put his thoughts into coherent words. "Have you ever worked for someone evil? Truly despicable, I mean, in every sense of the word." 

Still wide-eyed, the young man shook his head. 

"Well, I do. And I'm thinking about quitting my job." He had no idea why he was telling this man - this complete  _ stranger  _ \- any of this. Maybe it was the timing. Maybe he'd had no one else to talk to for too long. Maybe it was the way the kid was looking at him, with eyes full of interest and…hope? 

Unlikely. Sighing, Ignis chalked it up to the single glass of wine he'd had downstairs and carried on. "I've been unhappy in my work for some time now. It isn't that it's unfulfilling, necessarily, but I look around the office, at those who have given up everything for the company, and I fear becoming like them." 

"Robots?" the young man supplied. 

"Drones. You know, sometimes it feels like I’m surrounded by mindless soldiers turning the cogs of a giant, pointless machine." 

He sucked in a breath of cold air. It felt lighter, fresher, somehow, with that weight off of his chest, and he ventured a smile. "I'm terribly sorry for rambling on like this to you. You must think I'm mad, standing out here alone instead of downstairs at the party." 

"Nope. I hate parties, too," the young man said, with an endearing half-smile of his own. "And anyway, you're not alone anymore. I finally found you." 

A breathy laugh, somewhere between flattered and hopelessly lost. "That’s sweet of you. Thank you for keeping me company. My name is Ignis, by the way. Ignis Scientia. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance…?" 

"O-oh, right." Pulling his hands out of his pockets, the young man offered one to Ignis. "I'm Noctis Caelum. But just call me Noct, everyone does.”

_ Noctis...Caelum? _

It couldn’t be. He could hardly believe it, and yet…. Shock caught Ignis like a bucket of ice water to the face.  _ This  _ was the son of Regis Caelum?  _ This _ was the man - the boy, really - who had turned his life upside down? Who had cost him his job, his future, his happiness? Ignis didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t  _ this _ kid, with his messy black hair and shy smile, and those eyes like the furthest depths of the sea. 

“You….”

Noct leaned in closer, biting his lip. 

“You ruined everything.” Ignis’ tone fell like a hammer on an anvil. He saw the young man shrink away from him, flinching as if struck. “That internship was meant to be a dream come true, but I lost it because of you. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about it, and about what might have been.”

“I...I’m sorry, I don’t….”

“I never expected to meet you in person. There was...so much I wanted to say.” So much anger, so much resentment. Yet now, facing Noctis who was so unlike he’d imagined, he couldn’t bring himself to hate him. It was like a fire had been extinguished in his chest, leaving nothing but wet coals and smoke where the last of his ardor had been. Ignis’ shoulders slumped, and he pinched his fingers to the bridge of his nose under his glasses to fight back the pressure building there. “Perhaps I only have myself to blame for all of this….”

A hand, light and tentative, came to rest on his forearm. Noctis was watching him with unfathomable sadness in the depths of his eyes. “I’m sorry for hurting you. Looks like I’ve been making more mistakes than I thought. I’ve been living in my own world for so long, I didn’t even notice everything falling apart around me. My dad got real sick, and I missed my two best friends falling in love. I wasn’t ready for responsibility, so I ran away from it. But that only left everyone else behind to clean up my mess.” 

Noct sighed, his voice uneven, breaking. Ignis felt the inexplicable urge to pull him into his arms. This young man he’d known for so long - and yet was just meeting for the first time - was changing his heart one beat at a time. “It’s never too late, you know.” 

“Yeah. You’re right.” Noctis glanced out over the railing, at the lights of the city far below. Searching. “Now I think I get it. Why I was meant to meet you here. Ignis, this...might sound crazy, but do you think dreams can tell the future?”

He honestly didn’t have an answer for that. “...Perhaps? I wouldn’t know.” 

“Come back inside with me. Please. I think I know what I have to do to make things right now. For you, and for everyone. What do you say?”

Once again, Noctis offered his hand between them, and this time Ignis took it. Felt a strange lightness fill him when their fingers touched, as if dark clouds were being lifted in places he hadn’t known they could form. Ignis drew in a breath. The air, crisp and fresh, left his vision more clear than it had been in a long time. When he met Noctis’ gaze again, it was with a tired smile. “That would be lovely.” 

The rest of the party was extravagant beyond words. Seated near the front of the stage, between some of the Citadel’s top executives and Noct’s two best friends, Ignis was experiencing the magic of his own Solstice miracle firsthand. 

He watched Noct ascend the stairs to stand next to his father. Saw the wall between them crumble as Regis pulled his son into a long-overdue hug. Smiled, his own eyes brimming with emotion, as Noctis accepted the Ring his father passed down to him in front of the guests; a symbol of his future, and indeed the future of the entire company. The Citadel would be in good hands.

Yet, as Noct stepped up to the mic for an impromptu acceptance speech, he admitted he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. He’d need help, someone experienced to prepare him for the ins and outs of managing a business. Luckily, he announced, smiling across the room directly at Ignis, he’d already found the perfect partner for the job. 

Applause went up from every table. Eyes wide in shock and unable to tear his gaze from the stage, Ignis must have looked a real sight in that moment. Not only was he suddenly catching the attention of the faces around the table, but he also caught an elbow in the side from the young blond man sitting next to him. 

“So, uh. You  _ do  _ know Noct’s single, right?”

“Babe,” the next man over groaned. “Seriously?”

The blond flashed them each a grin. “What? I’m trying to help my bestie out!” 


	6. Right where we belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solstice is the time of year for family, friends, and soulmates.

**[One year later… ]**

The Amicitia household was more festive that year than any Solstice before. Clarus had gone all out with decorations, from stringing lights around the entire front yard, to filling half the living room with a tree so big he’d struggled to carry it himself. Even Iris had taken a break from hanging candy canes to sit under it now, shaking each carefully wrapped present to see who'd got the biggest gift. 

Gladio and Prompto had contributed to the decorating, too, with the addition of a sprig of mistletoe hanging stealthily above the front door. Their work done, the two had settled down onto the sofa with a tall glass of eggnog to share between them. 

It was to this cozy scene that Noct and Ignis arrived right on time. They both carried several bags, some filled with gifts, others with homemade dessert. Iris was the first to welcome them with hugs, while Clarus led Ignis off toward the kitchen to arrange his assortment of pies.

Sprawled out on the sofa, with a drink in one hand and Prompto occupying his other, Gladio shot Noct his most obnoxious, know-it-all grin. The kind that seemed to say neither he nor Iggy were fooling anyone arriving together like that. 

Noct smoothly ignored him in favor of greeting the final - and arguably best-dressed - member of the party that evening. 

"Son. It's good to see you." Still gripping his cane, but looking far less thin in a dark sweater than he had after his last round of treatments, Regis swept Noctis up into an affectionate hug. 

"Hey, Dad. You look good." 

Regis' smile mirrored his own, though there was a hint of mischief in his steel grey eyes. "Iris has been spoiling me with chocolate chip cookies. Shh. What my doctor doesn't know won't hurt her," he chuckled, tapping the side of his nose. 

“It’s cool. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“That’s my boy.” A pause as Regis took in the sight of him, from his styled hair to the casual (but ironed) dress clothes he wore. And he smiled in approval. “I hear from Clarus that you’re adjusting well to the office. How is business treating you?” 

“Oh, yeah, well. I mean, I’m still getting used to it,” he admitted. “If anything’s going right, it’s because of Ignis. He could probably run the company by himself if he had to.”

“Did I hear my name?” Rejoining them in the living room, Ignis first waved at Gladio and Prompto, then reached out to shake Regis’ hand. “Mr. Caelum, sir. It’s a privilege to see you again. Happy Solstice.” 

“Come now, Ignis, we’re past formalities by now, I should think. Noct’s been telling me what a great help you are around the office.”

“That’s far too kind, sir. Noctis is a quick study, it’s my pleasure to assist him however I can” 

Regis chuckled, possibly at some kind of inside joke, and patted him congenially on the shoulder (Ignis, in turn, grabbed hold of Noctis to keep his balance). “Well, please keep up whatever you two are doing. I’m enjoying my retirement far too much to give it up now.”

“Reg?” Popping his head around the kitchen door, Clarus waved across the room with a large dessert knife in hand. “We’re cutting the cake now. Care to do the honors?”

“Ah, now there’s a job I can really  _ sink my teeth _ into. Excuse me a moment.” Pleased with his joke, Regis chuckled to himself all the way to the kitchen. 

Yet somehow during the conversation, both Noct and Ignis had missed the other figure slowly sneaking up behind them. It wasn’t until Prompto had scrambled up onto the ottoman to dangle the sprig of mistletoe over their heads that either of them bothered to look up. 

Noctis groaned on cue. Beside him, Iggy distracted himself adjusting his glasses. But Prompto wasn’t falling for any of it. “Come on, guys, I’ve been waiting for this for  _ weeks _ !” he pouted. “Tell ‘em, Gladio.”

“It’s true, literally weeks. He said it was all he wanted for Solstice this year.”

Matching sighs as Ignis met Noct’s gaze. “I suppose, if it’s for a friend….” 

Noct shrugged. “What choice do we have?” 

Leaning in, he was surrounded by familiar warmth and the scent of Noct’s cologne. A cologne that  _ he’d  _ bought for him. One that Noct only wore when they were together - which, if he were being honest, was quite often these days. 

Ignis smiled as their lips met in an intentionally awkward kiss. Just a peck for show, something to appease their friends, but he knew full well how good the real thing could be. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been sneaking around for months now, after all. In the office, after hours, in the closet of the copier room when no one else was around. Stealing moments of blessed privacy whenever and wherever they could. And despite their friends’ suspicions, as far as Ignis was concerned, he and Noctis had managed to be perfectly discreet.

It had all gone back to that first night on the roof of the Citadel, and the feeling Ignis still couldn’t quite put into words. The same feeling he got now every time he looked at Noctis, or touched him, or lay awake with him in bed at night. It was something more than love. It was  _ completion _ ; as though they were meant to be, as though the universe had intended it all along. So what if they’d hit a few speed bumps along the way? This, here, now, was worth the wait. 

But more than the lightness in his chest or the tingle of Noct’s lips pressed to his, or even the cheers that went up around the room as their kiss deepened, one thing had convinced Ignis beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was special. 

He had started  _ dreaming  _ again. 

The first time it happened was also the first night he and Noctis had spent together, not long after the start of the new year. So vivid, he could still recall the details even after so many months. In his dream, he’d been a child, standing alone and nervous in a frighteningly large room. In front of him, a young boy, younger even than himself, with soft, round cheeks and startlingly familiar eyes. Blue, deep like the ocean, and pulling him in. The boy had reached out and taken his hand, and Ignis had whispered in his dream a single word.  _ Highness _ . 

He’d started using the pet name after that, when he and Noctis were alone. Noct had laughed the first time, and yet it had stuck all the same. Neither could explain why. Neither cared to question it. 

Because for all the answers Ignis didn’t have, the only one he needed was the most obvious of all. The answer was right here in his arms, grinning now against his lips while Prompto’s camera clicked away nearby. It was in his dreams every night, and in his thoughts each day. 

The answer was  _ Noctis _ , and for the first time in their lives, both of them were right where they belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone :)


End file.
